


Fate And First Officers

by JaneyKatherineHummingbird



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Pining, general cuteness, hot captains, sassy first officers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 08:31:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19292056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneyKatherineHummingbird/pseuds/JaneyKatherineHummingbird
Summary: Tilly is in love with the Captain. She doesn’t think it could ever be returned, but time proves her wrong.





	Fate And First Officers

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, this thing ended up way longer than I thought. I love writing these two.

_Prompt: “I shouldn’t be in love with you.”_

“Captain,” Tilly whispered, trying to keep her composure while watching him fight for his life, “Please don’t die on us. We need you. Starfleet needs you.” 

She was keeping vigil by Pike’s bedside after he’d been critically wounded saving them all once again. The grateful and worried crew took turns sitting by him and keeping an eye out for any change. He was currently in an induced coma and there was still uncertainty of if he’d come out of it. 

Tilly’s heart was heavy as she watched him breathe, looking so battered and hooked up to so many machines. 

_Why did Captains have to get hurt so much?_ She asked herself, even though she already knew the answer. Still, knowing didn’t make the sadness and fear any easier, especially when she knew her feelings stemmed from more than just the usual concern for a Captain. 

It was wrong, she acknowledged, but she’d crushed on him ever since he’d showed up and flirted with her on the bridge. He’d proven to be the Captain the wary Discovery crew needed and had worked hard to win their trust and respect.  
She’d tried hard to shut down her feelings, but to no avail; on the contrary, they were even stronger than ever. She’d become adept at hiding them, but the way she’d freaked out on Michael after the explosion, had probably been a dead giveaway. Even Saru had looked at her strangely. 

“I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this,” she went on, “but you’re my hero,” she said honestly. “I know I shouldn’t be in love with you, but it’s kind of impossible NOT to go head over heels for you. Your smile alone could make a Vulcan pause and that ridiculous smirk is SO attractive. Not to mention your eyes. Couldn’t you be just a little less perfect, please?” 

It felt good to get this off her Chest, having been bottled up for so long, and she boldly went on. 

“You’re so charming, you could disarm a Klingon, but that command voice? Gets me hot every time.”

She feigned fanning herself. 

“And best of all, we know that you’ll always have our backs. That’s something we’re not used to from our captains. I guess it means you’re actually a good one: the best in fact. We’d like you to stick around awhile longer, Captain. I....We need you.” 

She wiped a stray tear away and stood to leave, heart clenching at how lifeless he looked. Her usual chatty personality was much subdued during the anxious waiting to find out if he would recover. The only cure was throwing herself feverishly into her job, causing Saru to compliment her on her efficiency and Michael to observe her with great concern. 

Happily for them all, Pike did pull through and eventually regained consciousness after a long eight days. Tilly willed herself not to melt down in happy tears when the news reached her and the world seemed more vibrant again. 

She figured she’d wait for the senior officers to finish their visits and then go offer her well wishes, but was very surprised when Michael found her and delivered a message: “Tilly, the Captain would like to see you.” 

“M-me?” She squeaked. “Are you sure?”

“Unless there’s another Ensign Sylvia Tilly onboard, I’m very sure,” Michael said with a knowing smile. “Relax, Tilly. You know he doesn’t bite, especially not you.”

“ _Too bad_ ,” thought her naughty inner self. 

“Since I’m not in trouble, I guess I don’t have anything to worry about then.” She declared, with more confidence than she felt.

“That’s The Spirit!” Michael encouraged. “Now go on, head to sickbay.” 

She marched off with a nod and spent the whole trip hoping this had nothing to do with what she’d said when he was unconscious. 

“There’s no way he possibly could have heard,” she muttered to herself. “Don’t be such a worrywart, Tilly.” 

“Glad to have you back, Captain!” She greeted, smiling brightly at him. He still looked rough, but much more alive, which was far preferable to what could have been. 

“I’m glad to be back, Ensign,” he admitted, smiling at her, which of course made her heart skip a beat like it always did. “Thank you for coming. Have a seat.” 

Tilly sat somewhat nervously. 

“What can I do for you, Captain?” 

“Talk to me about anything other than the mission. Saru and Burnham have gone over it with a fine toothed comb and I am DONE. What interesting happenings have gone on while I’ve been out?” 

Tilly wracked her brain. For her it seemed like time had stopped while he was fighting for his life. What HAD happened?

“Ummm.....there was an impromptu bachelorette party for Lieutenant Long, two red shirts started a food fight, and Reno and Stamets had one of their weird science sarcasm standoffs. It was glorious. Even Dr. Culber was laughing, it was so great. That’s about it. I was too worried about you to do much beyond my job,” she finished. “Thank you for saving us, Captain, but I hope that never happens again.”

“So do I, Ensign,” Pike admitted, with an emphatic nod. “Unfortunately, in this line of work, it probably will. Still wanna be a Captain?” 

He weakly chuckled and Tilly pursed her lips and looked off into space. 

“I admit........I questioned it for a minute,” she admitted, “then I looked at the bridge crew and thought, I would do the same thing to keep them safe. No one messes with Tilly’s space fam!!!” 

She clenched her fists in emphasis as she made this determined declaration. Pike saw the way her eyes flashed and looked approving. 

“You’re loyalty is commendable, Ensign. I have a feeling you’ll make a very good captain.”

Tilly flushed. Hearing such praise from him was very meaningful to her. One of the best captains Starfleet had thought she would be a great captain? Wow. 

“Thank you, Sir.” 

Tilly left his sickbay, feeling very relieved that he hadn’t brought up her confessions, (he probably hadn’t heard them), but very giddy to have spent quality time with him. Maybe now her crush would calm down and she could be in the same room without tripping over her own feet or putting said foot in her mouth.

Chris, meanwhile, was chiding himself for chickening out about asking her about what he’d heard. Of course, it might have all been a dream, but there was something about the tone in her voice when she’d said “I shouldn’t be in love with you” that seemed far too heart wrenching to be a figment of his imagination. He couldn’t deny that if he under different circumstances, he’d certainly have made a move, but there were just too many obstacles, not to mention she deserved better. For know, he was just thankful she was still alive. 

Time went by, and eventually Chris returned to the Enterprise and Saru took command. 

Much as he loved his Enterprise crew, he found himself missing Tilly and wondering what she was up to as the years went by. He tried dating a few times, but they never lasted long, even though he genuinely got along well with the people. There was just something missing, something that prevented him from giving away his heart. Five years after he’d left Discovery, Number One finally called him on it.

“Chris, what is going on? This is the ninth time you’ve broken up with someone after the fourth date. You’re usually so careful not to start something when you’re not truly invested in it.” 

“What’s Wrong with a little casual dating?” He queried, trying to shrug off the question. 

“Nothing. But it’s not YOU. You never used to do this.”

“Maybe I’m tired of being alone,” he hedged with a half-truth. She gave him a look that said, “child, please.” 

“Maybe, But your heart is clearly not in it. I get the sense it’s somewhere else.” 

“You know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than on this ship, captaining this crew, right?” He asked, a touch of annoyance in his tone. She was hitting painfully close to forcing him to admit something he still hadn’t fully accepted himself.

“Yes, of course,” she responded, “but that’s not what I’m talking about. When you give your heart, you give it completely. You’ve given the Captain part to this crew and we fully appreciate and understand that, but someone out there clearly has captured the Chris part and you either don’t realize it, or won’t admit it.”

She’d hit the nail on the head. Chris really couldn’t deny it. His heart was wherever a certain bubbly, red-haired, science nerd was. 

He sighed. 

“Sometimes, I wish I didn’t know you, Una. It’s unfair how good you are at reading me.”

She smiled and patted his shoulder. 

“I’ve worked with you long enough to see through your layers, Chris, that’s all. So what’s stopping you from pursuing the one you really love?”

“Lots of things,” he sighed. “She’s probably taken by now, anyway.”

“You can’t assume that. Who was the one who practically pushed me into telling Cait how I felt when I had assumed she wasn’t interested?” 

Chris smiled.

“You’ve got me there. Maybe I’ll look her up when we stop at the Starbase.”

“You do that.” 

 

Commander Sylvia Tilly had dragged her Captain out for a night of fun. They’d finally stopped at a Starbase for an extended time and it was about time Michael let loose a bit. Captaining all the time had to be exhausting and it would be good for both of them to relax a bit. 

Michael refused to go into the loud nightclubs that Tilly generally preferred, so they compromised with a quieter officer’s club. It wasn’t as fun, but there were plenty of gorgeous people. Having seen to it that Michael was occupied with an intriguing tall, dark and handsome, Tilly sat down with her drink to begin scoping out the field. She’d seen them look at her when she’d come in. There were certainly some good prospects in this crowd.

Then out of the blue, a familiar face appeared in front of her and her heart skipped at the sight of him. She’d know that stride anywhere.

“C-Captain Pike!” She gasped, nearly spilling her drink in shock.

He grinned the same old grin that had always made her swoon. 

“Commander Tilly, I hear. I knew you’d be climbing the ranks before long. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Sir,” she managed, with a suddenly very dry mouth. “And Michael is a very good Captain.”

“So I hear. Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” she said, hopefully not too eagerly. 

He slid onto the stool beside her and she saw that while he was definitely more grey, he was just as handsome as ever. She sipped her drink while her mind raced.

“What have you been up to the last five years?” He asked. “It’s hard to believe it’s been that long.”

“I know, right?” She agreed, feeling that same old giddy schoolgirl sensation that always took hold of her around him. “After I finished the Command Training Program, I spent a year doing science on Vulcan. That was WAY tougher than the academy, but let me tell you, I learned so much!”

She gestured with her hands to represent the enormous amount of knowledge she’d been steeped in.

“Then I came back to the Discovery, and when Michael got her promotion, she made me first officer. I screamed internally.” 

Pike chuckled at her admission. 

“I bet you did. That’s quite an accomplishment. Met any special someone along the way?”

Tilly set down her glass, nerves fluttering again. 

“Nothing sticks. They usually get tired of me or annoyed with me. I’m fine with it most of the time, but sometimes....you know...”

Chris nodded. 

“I understand. But I can’t imagine why someone would find you annoying,” he said, looking at her as if he couldn’t fathom the idea.

Tilly blushed a bit. He’d better stop looking at her like that or she might do something rash! 

“Well, you know, I talk too much and at the wrong times, especially around people I like,” she said with a shrug, remembering with a wince all the times she’d done that in front of him. 

“You’re genuine, Tilly, and passionate about what you do. I’ve always liked that about you.” 

There went that look again. 

“I forgot how kind you are, Captain,” she said. “That’s such an under appreciated trait these days. You know, I think you’re the reason I haven’t really had any luck in dating.” 

His eyebrows rose, but his mouth quirked up in amusement.

“How?”

“By ruining all other men for me. They just couldn’t compare.” 

She put a flirty edge in her voice and leaned a little closer to him. 

“Are you flirting with me, Commander?” He asked, voice dropping and gaze intensifying. 

“Yeah,” she said. “You can tell me to shut up if it makes you uncomfortable. Trust me, I’ll understand.”

“On the contrary,” Chris said with a grin. “Care for a dance?” 

“Is the sky blue?” She blurted, then blushed at her own eagerness. “Sorry, Sir. I don’t mean to be so......eager.” 

“Hey, it’s Chris. Nothing wrong with eagerness. Now come here.” 

Tilly obeyed. The moment his arms went around her and they started to move, she felt like she was floating in pure bliss. She’d had daydreams about dancing with him, but nothing beat the reality of having his arm around her waist and her hand engulfed in his large one while they swayed together and he looked at her all intently. 

“I have a confession, Tilly,” he said at last, after they’d started a second song.

“What?” She asked breathlessly.

“I’ve been.....interested in you for quite a while. Back then of course, I couldn’t do anything about it for obvious reasons, but after all these years of trying and failing to move on, I wondered if you might have felt the same.” 

Tilly’s eyes widened and her heart leaped. Was she hearing things? Did he just admit he liked her? 

“Um....yeah. At first I was just starstruck, I think, but the more I got to know you, the harder I fell. Let’s be honest, it would be very hard to NOT fall for you.” 

She twirled as he spun her around and then back into his arms, both grinning like idiots. 

“And you can dance! Truly a prize catch. I’m so glad I’m not an Ensign anymore. It was so hard to keep it to myself. I only blurted it out once when you were unconscious, just because I was so scared you were going to die.” 

“I have a vague memory of someone saying they shouldn’t be in love with me, but I thought it was just a Dream.”

Tilly sighed. “That was me. I was a wreck. You have got to quit it with the near death experiences!” She poked him in the chest for emphasis. 

“I wish I could promise you that, but you know I can’t,” he said regretfully, capturing her hand and brushing his lips over it. 

Tilly shivered at the sensation. “I know,” she acknowledged. “Still, I can give you some nice incentives to stay alive,” she added with a wink. 

“Oh, I imagine you can, beautiful.” There went that husky Tone again.

Tilly blushed furiously. 

“Stop it or I’m going to have to kiss you!”  
She demanded. 

“Stop what? Calling you beautiful? Because That’s never going to happen,” Chris said firmly, but with a gleam in his eye that suggested he wanted to test her threat. 

“Alright, then,” Tilly declared. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. After all, it’s been five years in the making.”

And she leaned up and planted a gentle kiss on his lips, pulling away to gauge the reaction. 

“Very nice. More, please?” he whispered hopefully, with one of those adorable expressions she found so irresistible. 

“Since you asked so nicely,” she answered with a smirk. 

Michael’s jaw dropped when she looked over at her friend several moments later and saw her enthusiastically making out with her former CO. Well, that was an unexpected twist. Tilly hadn’t mentioned her crush on Chris in years and Michael had assumed she’d moved past it. Not so, judging by how tightly she was clutching Chris, who was quite blatantly 100% on board with the proceedings. Michael smiled. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was those two. 

“Get it, Tilly,” she muttered under her breath and turned back to her conversation. 

“Well, was that worth the five year wait?” Chris asked, when they came up for air, both giddy and breathless. 

“Oh gosh, was it!!” Tilly gasped, grabbing on to him again to keep from falling over. Her knees had gone suddenly very weak and it was all his fault.  
Chris laughed and there went the dimples again. Ugh. He was hotter than summer on Vulcan! (Which was really saying something).

“I always suspected you were a great kisser, and now I know,” she panted, allowing him to pull her over to a secluded corner. 

Having settled into a very pleasing seating arrangement, side by side with her head on his shoulder and holding hands, they filled in more of the missing pieces of the five years. 

“So, how did you find me?” She asked, when they’d caught up to the present and he’d told her how Number One has pushed him to look for her. 

“I wasn’t expecting Discovery to even be here at the same time as the Enterprise. Imagine my surprise when I bumped into Kayla Detmer when I arrived on base. She told me you and Michael would probably be here, and that’s that.”

“Well, I’ll have to send Number One flowers,” Tilly declared. “Yay for meddling first officers.” 

She grinned up at him mischievously, and he shook his head. 

“Is that your doing?” Chris asked, pointing to Michael who was currently dancing quite closely with tall, dark, and handsome. 

“Yep,” she confirmed proudly. “Someone’s gotta look out for the captain’s best interests, after all.” 

She lifted her head to give him a way too smug grin and Chris kissed it right off her face. 

_Thank God for First Officers,_ he thought.


End file.
